Chapter 12: Slaying the Black-Robed Steward
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It wasn’t only Wu Ziyi who had studied the strategy guide thoroughly; Gu Chen had also carefully reviewed it. The skill of the Black-Robed Steward allowed him to transfer damage to the guards, and the guards receiving the damage would not truly die. If a guard’s health dropped to zero, they would revive fully after one minute. That one minute was precisely the cooldown period of the Damage Transfer skill.
This mechanism sharply increased the difficulty of the beginner dungeon. Coupled with the Black-Robed Steward’s health exceeding 9,000, novice players seeking to kill him had to dodge the guards’ relentless pursuit while dragging out the battle to wear him down. Even well-equipped beginner teams would take three to four hours of drawn-out combat to bring down the Black-Robed Steward, which was considered fast. Many players spent two or three days just to clear the beginner dungeon.
Bang! Bang! Bang!...
Dracula shifted his position and unleashed a flurry of normal attacks at the Black-Robed Steward. Damage transferred. No harm done. The health bar remained unmoved. However, the health of a nearby Level 5 guard plummeted rapidly, emptied in the blink of an eye.
The Level 5 guard fell to the ground, entering a state of fake death. The crystalline white glow representing Damage Transfer faded from the Black-Robed Steward, and the skill went into cooldown.
“Roar!”
The Black-Robed Steward emitted an angry low roar, flicking his large sleeves as his gaunt, gray-white arms pointed toward Dracula. The surrounding guards seemed to receive the signal and charged swiftly at Dracula.
Bang! Bang! Bang!...
A barrage of normal attacks and skills met the guards as they approached, each one falling one after another. Facing the guards’ encirclement, Dracula’s gaze was as cold as steel. He moved deftly, aimed carefully, and fired. Like an emotionless killing machine, he glided through the battle, each shot delivering a headshot to a guard.
[Defeated Fallen Guard LV.3, Experience +31]
[Defeated Fallen Guard LV.4, Experience +75]
[Defeated Fallen Guard LV.1, Experience +8]
...
“Is Dracula a summoned beast or a player? His monster-slaying skills rival those of a Gunslinger!”
“This is way more broken than a Gunslinger. Tell me, can a Level 4 Gunslinger one-shot a Level 2 Fallen Guard?”
“Not only that — quick reloads, predictive shots, shooting on the move, multi-target switching... Has his firearms mastery maxed out? It’s ridiculous!”
“Send Dracula to teach Gunslingers; farming newbies would be a guaranteed profit.”
...
Amid the chatter, Dracula’s figure flashed behind a Level 3 guard.
[Fatal Shot]
Boom!
The Level 3 guard’s head exploded instantly—a one-shot kill!
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[Defeated Fallen Guard LV.3, Experience +29]
Without hesitation, he fired again, unleashing a rapid sequence of normal attacks.
Bang! Bang! Bang!...
The Black-Robed Steward’s health bar quickly dropped, losing a fifth almost immediately.
Enraged, the Black-Robed Steward roared sharply. His slender fingers flicked through the void, summoning a crescent-shaped black shadow out of nowhere.
Hum!
A low vibration echoed in the air.
Skill: Darkest Onslaught.
The crescent-shaped shadow vanished into thin air and suddenly appeared before Dracula without warning.
No way to dodge!
He didn’t even try.
The black crescent pierced through him; Dracula’s body trembled as over sixteen hundred health points vanished.
Fortunately, Dracula had undergone several enhancements, bringing his health close to six thousand. Taking that skill was painful but manageable.
At the same time, Dracula was ready to counterattack.
He needed to regain health.
[Fatal Shot]
Activated!
Almost simultaneously, two gunshots rang out. Two shining silver bullets tore through the black mist, hitting a Level 5 guard squarely in the head.
[Defeated Fallen Guard LV.5, Experience +121]
Without being selected by Damage Transfer, guards could be killed outright. Taking down a Level 5 guard was equivalent to breaking one of the Black-Robed Steward’s health bars.
Skill kill resets cooldown.
Without hesitation, Dracula activated the skill again.
[Fatal Shot]
Two bullets whistled out, striking the forehead of a Level 4 guard simultaneously.
[Defeated Fallen Guard LV.4, Experience +75]
Within mere seconds, all Level 4 guards had been eliminated, leaving only one Level 5 guard remaining — the one previously targeted by Damage Transfer, whose health had been drained to zero and was in fake death.
Fake death granted immunity to attacks, so Dracula’s figure flashed, appearing beside the Black-Robed Steward.
At the same time, his eyes glowed with a scarlet light.
[Scarlet Feast]
Blood-red energy spiraled from Dracula’s body toward the Black-Robed Steward.
Boom!
A tremendous explosion!
The Black-Robed Steward staggered violently as his health dropped sharply, though not below half; additional damage effects did not trigger.
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Dracula shifted position again, simultaneously activating [Fatal Shot]. Swift and decisive.
Just as the two silver bullets sliced through the black mist, the Level 5 guard in fake death suddenly opened his eyes, radiating dark red light and fully reviving.
The Black-Robed Steward emitted a sharp roar and activated his skill.
[Damage Transfer]
In the next second, the crystalline white glow reappeared on him.
The damage from [Fatal Shot] hit the Black-Robed Steward but caused him no harm.
The unfortunate Level 5 guard beside him was not so lucky.
Having just revived at full health, he immediately lost two-thirds of his life again.
Level 5 Guard: ???
[Fatal Shot] was on cooldown, as was [Scarlet Feast].
Dracula swiftly reloaded and unleashed a torrent of normal shots at the Black-Robed Steward.
Bang! Bang! Bang!...
In a single breath, two magazines emptied.
All damage was redirected; not a single point of health was lost by the Black-Robed Steward.
Moreover, he unleashed [Darkest Onslaught] again.
Above him, a black crescent moon faintly appeared.
Dracula kicked a nearby Level 1 guard away, finished reloading, and continued firing normal attacks at the Black-Robed Steward.
The black crescent appeared before him the next instant.
Dracula was unfazed. His vampiric instincts granted him extraordinary regenerative abilities.
The over sixteen hundred health lost from [Darkest Onslaught] was already nearly half restored; he could endure another hit.
In an instant, the black crescent pierced through him again, while Dracula’s attacks rained down on the Black-Robed Steward like relentless raindrops.
A faint cracking sound was heard as the crystalline white glow surrounding the Black-Robed Steward shattered instantly.
The Level 5 guard was killed once more—this time, truly dead.
With the effect of [Damage Transfer] broken, Dracula shifted position again, twin guns locked on, and two shining silver bullets tore through the air.
[Fatal Shot] hit the Black-Robed Steward’s forehead precisely, dealing massive damage as expected.
The headshot caused the Black-Robed Steward to enter a stunned state.
Dracula became a shadow, rushing forward, blood-red energy swirling around him.
[Scarlet Feast] activated!
The spiraling blood energy struck the Black-Robed Steward, causing his health to plummet drastically, far below half.
Then, the additional damage burst forth, bathing the Black-Robed Steward in a dense scarlet glow.
Boom!
The Black-Robed Steward’s body exploded violently, shattering into a puddle of black blood and flesh.